ROM the Scriptures we learn, and by I faith we understand, that the worlds were

framed by the word of God ; * for whose pleasure they are and were created: upon him therefore, who gave Being to the worlds and all -that is therein, must every creature necessarily, and continually depend, and that for all things.

In the preceding verses is a short, but sublime Description of the creation of the heavens and the earth with all their hosts by the word, and spirit of JEHOVAH.—Ut spake and it teas done,, be commanded and they were created'f.

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.- \* Heb. Jo. j. f P1«J- &enL S

God having thus made the world, and richly furnished it with every creature, wherein the glory of his wisdom, goodness, and power, might be seen; he sinished his-great design, toy creating man in hisown image-; whetn hfe "fitted'for, add deputed "to be his representative, and vicegerent in the earth; for which-honourable-station and government, man was peculiarly qualified, being as to his body formed out of the dust in common with other terrestrial animals; when his immortal soul which JEHOVAH breathed into him, was of a nobler substance.

LET us make, or rather according to the Hebrew*, we will make man -, thus signifying, that the tape of man's creation before determined, was then fulfy come •, as if God had said, there remains nothing Oibe crested in aljithe earth as settled in the counsels heaven,except man; whom we decreed to make in of / Now own image: therefore we will now make man.

The words by so means intimate, that; a coun* sel was then held between the divine persons in the Godhead concerning man's creation 5 for the counsels of God were finished before his work ber gan •, creation being only the effect of God's eternal purpose, who worketb all things after the counsel of his snun wills; but he then began to execute Iris glorious purpose, when he laid the foundations of the earth, and built bis stories in the heavens; finishing his fix days work with man's creation : thus God performed in time, what he had planned in,

.eternity. !*.—*;

The-re is not an atom in nature, nor an inci4ent in life to the smallest insect, but God foreknew in his infinite understanding, and settled by an immutable decree before ever the world was— The very hairs of your head are all numbered \, there js no such thing as casualty or chance with JEHOVAH our God : for known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the worlds.

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•fWW-1 Eph. i. iii \ Matt. x. 30. § Actg xv. 18.

2. Let it be observed ;. that God doth not fay I, but we will make man in our image, &c2>& Hence it hath been generally supposed, and strongly argued, that in the Godhead there is a. plurality} not of Essences but of Persons i, that is, there are distinct modes of subsisting in one and the same essence—which verily seems to be a truth intentionally delivered to the church, and revealed in our text'; hot only from the pronouns WE and OUR, but here the very name of God is plural likewise.—however inexplicable and incomprehensible this mystery may appear to human reason, yet by divine revelation it is made manifest.—The Creator of man is in the scriptures often said to be more than one; thus remember thy Creator* is in the original thy Creators; again, thy Maker is thy husband, J in the Hebrew it is thy Makers are thy .husbands. Yet we believe, and testifie that there is but one living and true God—JEHOVAH is a pure Spirit, self-existent and self-sufficient, one eternal], immortal, invisible, immutable, Almighty God—~This St. Paul affirms to be a fundamental article of our creed i to us there is but one God the Fathers; and again, God is one§. Moses also taught the church of old the very same faith; bear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one. Jehqvah||. It is then an undoubted truth clearly revealed and testified in the scriptures, that there is but one God . whose uX-'- - flame